Manchester United are willing to hand Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos a bumper two-year contract worth €15 million-a-year to sign him on a free transfer.
According to a report from Sky Italia, as relayed by Le10 Sport, Premier League giants Manchester United are lining up a move to secure the signing of Real Madrid captain and contract rebel Sergio Ramos on a free transfer in the summer.
The 34-year-old, who will go down as one of the greatest defenders of the modern era, is in the final six months of his current contract with Real Madrid. Negotiations over a new deal have hit a roadblock as the Merengues are not willing to change their policy of handing a contract longer than twelve months to players over the age of 30.
The report claims that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was willing to make an exception for the captain and hand him a contract that runs till 2023, provided he was willing to take a 10% pay cut on his current €15 million-a-year wages.
Ramos, though, is unwilling to reduce his salary and is also said to be holding out for a three-year contract from the Spanish capital club, leading to a stand-off in negotiations. This development has piqued the interest of several clubs across Europe, with PSG said to be interested along with Premier League giants Manchester City as well.
Now, it seems like Manchester United have also entered the fray to land the 34-year-old Spanish international. It is no secret that the Red Devils are long-term admirers of Ramos and had tried ardently to sign him in 2015 – something which the defender used to get a bumper contract at Real Madrid.
Manchester United have several central defenders on their books already. However, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo do not feature in manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans while Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire haven’t been consistent enough. Throw in the injury problems of Eric Bailly and it is understandable as to why the club would want to sign a new defender.
Now, with the possibility of Ramos being available for a free transfer looming, Manchester United are once again looking at making a move for him. In fact, the report states that the Red Devils are the only club willing to meet his €15 million-a-year wages and hand him a two-year contract as well.
It remains to be seen if there is any truth to these reports. But, given how well Ramos has been performing this term and the impact that Thiago Silva has had at Chelsea since joining last summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Manchester United decide to push for the signing of Ramos.
